I started remote work at the height of the pandemic, and since then, I’ve remained a full-time work-from-home dad. This change has brought about many benefits, including the elimination of commute time, flexibility in my daily schedule, and improvement in my work-life balance. Knowing that some dads might be in similar situations, I thought it’d be important to explore the impact of working from home on fatherhood.

Increased Involvement

Remote work has allowed me to be more present in the home, particularly with my kids. These days, I’m mostly responsible for getting the girls ready for school, drop-off and pick-up, and handling any concerns that might come up during the school day. The increased time I have with them has been great, as that was my main motivation for continuing remote work. However, as with most relationships, increased togetherness also brings about a need for dedicated time apart. This is something that I have to be mindful of, making sure I pursue some time for myself when I’m not working. That time apart is also beneficial for the girls and allows them a chance to catch up on quality time with their mother.

Shifting Roles

Before working from home, my wife and I split the responsibilities in the home fairly evenly. During the week, a lot of those caretaking and housekeeping responsibilities have now fallen on my plate. Taking on more of the primary caregiver role hasn’t been too difficult of a transition for me, but I’ll admit that at times it can become stressful–especially when balanced with work responsibilities. I recognize that each situation is unique, and this transition may be more of a stressor to parents who play different roles in the home.

Because remote work allows you to be home and often offers more schedule flexibility, you might face increased responsibilities that challenge you to play a bigger role in day-to-day duties. Whether it’s work-from-home or any change in household dynamics that causes shifting responsibilities, it’s important to have open communication with your partner and the kids about how roles and duties might change. And just know, as a dad, it’s okay to adjust to new household responsibilities even if they aren’t the roles you’d typically associate with fathers.

Emotional Support

Increased involvement could also mean taking on the role of primary emotional support for your kids. Throughout the day, kids experience a range of emotions that they need help navigating, such as feeling grumpy from lack of sleep, disappointment from forgetting their bookbag at home, or sadness due to a negative peer interaction at school. Whichever parent is around when these situations occur takes on the load of helping navigate each challenge. Though it can be a lot sometimes, I see this as a benefit because, as dads, we should want our kids to know they can seek us out if they are ever in need of emotional guidance. Being there to support your children emotionally does wonders for strengthening the parent-child bond.

Talking Fatherhood Podcast

I know every work-from-home situation is unique, and while remote work is becoming less common, its impact on fatherhood brings up important points. As dads, we should always pursue more physical and emotional involvement with our kids and take the opportunities to balance the responsibilities of the household outside of traditional gender roles. Listen in to our Talking Fatherhood podcast to hear more. 

About Z. Andrew Jatau, LPC

Z. Andrew Jatau is a Licensed Professional Counselor and content creator currently working at Hopscotch, a leading pediatric behavioral health company.  He is the founder and CEO of Mylemarks, a website dedicated to providing engaging social-emotional resources for children and adolescents.  Andrew has worked in a number of settings providing mental health services to youth and families, including a day treatment center, a university counseling center, and most recently, a private practice in Virginia Beach.  He previously served as a Fatherhood Consultant with CHKD, helping to organize and facilitate fatherhood programs in the Hampton Roads area.  Andrew resides in Aurora, CO with his wife and two daughters.